A year after his debut for Newcastle, in which he played like a gladiator, Sandro Tonali picked up his sword and shield, but his weapons were already lowered as his team fought back and survived a penalty shootout to reach the next round of the Carabao Cup.
Eddie Howe thought he had secured the signing of the season when the £52million midfielder scored after six minutes on the opening day against Aston Villa 12 months ago, playing macho and majestically in a 5-1 win. In October, a 10-month ban for illegal gambling had all but ruined the season.
On the evidence of his comeback here, Tonali looks better than before, just as insiders had said. He speaks English now, but the Italian bravado remains the same. Andrea Pirlo meets Gennaro Gattuso.
With his first touch, 13 seconds in, he played a nice pass between the bodies for Miguel Almiron to collect. Five seconds later Newcastle were ahead. Almiron played in Alexander Isak and when his shot was palmed home by Carlos Miguel, Joe Willock followed to deliver.
It could easily have been Tonali as he transformed from gladiator to lion and roared into the penalty area from the halfway line.
Sandro Tonali returned with a bang as Newcastle beat Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup
Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi fired his penalty over the bar to give Toon a penalty win
Awoniyi buried his head in his shirt with his miss, allowing Sean Longstaff to secure the win
Nick Pope was mobbed by his teammates as Eddie Howe’s team reached the third round
We were told he has been running harder and faster than anyone on the club’s training ground in recent weeks.
He led that charge here and in the third minute his legs rushed him in behind Forest’s back line. Isak found Tonali’s run but with Miguel in a flash his low shot was blocked.
While the rest were pedaling, Tonali seemed to have batteries in his boots. They needed recharging at the half-hour mark when, seemingly exhausted – and understandably so – he dropped to the grass and welcomed the arrival of the physiotherapists, seizing the opportunity for a 60-second breather.
He was up and running quickly, literally. Not only that, his passing was on another level. Always first, breaking the lines when possible and always accurate, he had given a masterclass in the first half.
That wasn’t the case for all of Tonali’s teammates. Despite the early lead, they were lucky to still be ahead when the breakaway broke away.
Goalscorer Willock was also sent off in his first start since April and Forest ended the first half as the stronger of the teams.
It was no surprise then that they were level five minutes after the restart. Alex Moreno threw a long ball into the penalty area, two Newcastle shirts jumped in to try and clear the ball, but only served Jota Silva with the invitation to fire home from 12 yards.
Joe Willock opened the scoring after just 18 seconds when he arrived and tapped in a rebound
Willock provided the finishing touch after Carlos Miguel pushed out Alexander Isak’s low effort
Jota Silva equalised in the second half with a powerful shot inside the penalty area
Silva got hold of the ball and fired past Nick Pope thanks to a deflection off the post
Tonali impressed in his long-awaited return and the midfielder deserved the win
Tonali’s solo performance could only cover up a collective failure for a limited time. When the gladiator retreated after an hour, other fighters were needed.
As Forest tired, Harvey Barnes came closer than anyone to restoring the visitors’ lead, one low shot being deflected wide by a sliding Moreno inside the six-yard box and another driving scorched over the post.
And so to the penalties, where Forest debutant Miguel gave his team the advantage with a flying save from Joelinton to deny Newcastle’s second attempt. But when Ibrahim Sangare smashed the bar for the hosts, the whale of disappointment could be heard whistling across the Trent from the City Ground.
Taiwo Awoniyi didn’t get quite as close to hitting the bar with Forest’s next shot, blasting it into the stands, leaving Sean Longstaff to win it for Newcastle.
Tonali at least deserved the win.